Brilliant Bicycle Co snags $1.5 mln seed: CORRECTED

Bike startup Brilliant Bicycle Co. has raised $1.5 million in seed funding. Individuals at RRE Ventures and Bonobos led the round.

CORRECTION: A prior version of this story said that RRE and Bonobos led the round for Brilliant Bicycle. It was individuals from the firms that invested. The story has been corrected.

PRESS RELEASE

Los Angeles, CA — May 27, 2015 — Brilliant Bicycle Co. (www.Brilliant.co) today launches to make buying a bike easy, fun and affordable for casual riders. Brilliant offers high quality, hand-made bicycles at less than half of retail prices with a step-by-step guided buying process, instructional videos, and customer service reps who will help customers without using technical jargon.

Brilliant bicycles are available for purchase starting at $299 with free shipping and easy returns directly through Brilliant’s website. The company also announced today it has received $1.5 million in seed funding from top venture capital firms and angel investors in the e-commerce industry.

“Our bicycles fit perfectly into the lives of millennials. Owning a Brilliant makes a statement about our customers’ design aesthetic, consumption ethics, and how they engage with their city.” says Adam Kalamchi, CEO and Founder of Brilliant. “We’re filling a gap in the market by providing a bicycle that non-competitive riders feel a connection to and can incorporate into their lives without becoming defined by the bike itself.”

Brilliant also announced today that it closed $1.5 million in seed funding from leading venture capital firms and angel investors in technology, lifestyle and e-commerce. The round was led by former colleagues from both RRE Ventures and Bonobos, with individual participation from four general partners RRE as well as Andy Dunn (Founder, Executive Chairman Bonobos) and Bryan Wolff (CFO DogVacay, former CFO Bonobos). Matt Salzberg (CEO Blue Apron) also participated through Aspiration Growth.

“We kept our round small and very intimate,” says Adam Kalamchi. “This let us experiment quietly with our product, packaging, pricing and service model over the course of the winter and spring without the urgency to grow that comes with institutional funding. After a tremendous amount of innovation at every point in the supply chain, we’re ready to go live and help more people remember how fun it is to hop on a bike.”

The Brilliant Bike
Brilliant bicycles are engineered with comfort in mind, designed in a classic shape and come with luminous matte finishing available in six modern color palettes. Brilliant bicycles are hand-crafted at a state-of-the-art, wind-powered manufacturing facility in Taiwan. All manufacturing partners are focused on ethical labor and pay responsible wages with benefits in safe, clean working conditions.

All Brilliant bicycles feature:
Hand-welded frames: hand-welded steel frames are designed for comfort and tested to rigorous European Committee for Standardization specifications. Steel is a “soft” metal which means it provides built-in shock absorption for a smoother ride than typical racing materials such as aluminum or carbon fiber.
Highest Quality Gears: Shimano Nexus three or seven speed internally geared hubs with Shimano Revo shifters. Shimano is the highest quality gear set on the market and internal gears reduce maintenance needs and accidental grease markings on riders’ clothing.
Smooth-riding Tires: 32mm wide tires come standard for a silky-smooth city ride.
Accessories: All Brilliant bicycles have universal mounts so customers can add any combination of baskets, racks, fenders, kid’s seats, lights, etc.
As of today, two lines of fantastic Brilliant bikes are available for purchase.
The Astor – A classic bicycle, great for commuting and the most versatile frame for any rider
Sizes: Available in Small, Medium and Large designed for riders heights 5’1” to 6’2”.
Speeds: Available and 1, 3 and 7 speed versions that allow riding in any city, from flat (LA) to very hilly (SF).
The Mayfair – A relaxed riding bike designed for comfort and ease.
Sizes: Available in Small and Large, designed for riders heights 5’1” to 6’2”.
Speeds: Comes with 3 speeds for cruising across a variety of terrains
Kickstand included

Getting a Brilliant Bike
At purchase, Brilliant riders are guided to choose the best bike for their needs by answering a series of questions. These include whether riders are seeking a traditional or more relaxed ride (the Astor and Mayfair, respectively), their height (which size), how hilly their city is (how many gears) and the color that best suits their personality.
Brilliant also provides DIY videos with simple instructions so customers can learn to care for and assemble their own bike.

Pricing and Availability
The Astor is available now for purchase from $299, $399 and $499 for 1-speed, 3-speed and 7-speed models, respectively.
The Mayfair is available for purchase at $399 and will ship in June 2015.
All Brilliant bicycles ship for free in the USA.

For more information about Brilliant Bicycle Co., please visit www.Brilliant.co.

About Brilliant
Launched in 2015, Brilliant Bicycle Co. designs and manufactures bicycles that fit your life. With two unique designs, the Astor and the Mayfair, Brilliant bicycles put the casual rider first by delivering high quality, beautiful, affordable bikes designed specifically for their needs. Available for purchase online, Brilliant bicycles arrive at your home and can be conveniently assembled in 30 minutes. With operations in New York and Los Angeles, Brilliant bicycles are designed in Brooklyn, made in ethical labor factories and built by hand from the first weld to the final assembly. Brilliant bicycles are available for direct purchase starting at $299 through www.Brilliant.co.